SHILLONG, Sep 5: NPP leader and cabinet minister Rakkam A. Sangma on Friday alleged that both the BJP, a partner in the ruling MDA coalition, and the opposition TMC had politicised the long-running salary crisis in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) for electoral gain ahead of the Council polls.
He said the real sufferers were the employees, who had gone without salaries for 44 months, yet their hardship was being exploited for political advantage.
Calling the situation deeply unfortunate, Rakkam remarked that his heart went out to the workers who had endured such prolonged hardship. He added that if he were in their place, he would have staged protests within a few months of non-payment, and wondered aloud how they had managed to survive nearly four years without wages.
Rakkam maintained that the government had responded responsibly by announcing what he described as the best possible solution, but regretted that the issue had been reduced to a political battlefield.
He pointed out that rallies on the matter were being led by political parties, which, he argued, trivialised the seriousness of the crisis by turning it into a tool for electioneering.
According to the minister, salaries would be released on a monthly basis from November, while arrears would be cleared in phases. The GHADC had already announced five months of pending salaries, with the remaining dues to be met through both state government funds and the Council’s own resources. He insisted that this was the most viable solution and appealed to employees to accept the plan.
Rakkam further accused vested political interests of deliberately prolonging the protests.
Making a personal appeal to the employees, the minister said he could understand their pain as his elder brother was among them.
While arrears could not be cleared at once, he assured that payments would be released in time and urged workers not to allow themselves to be misled.
He warned that both BJP and TMC were attempting to exploit the unrest with the GHADC elections approaching.
He also voiced concern that the agitations were disturbing the atmosphere at a time when examinations were due, noting that even churches had felt compelled to hold prayer meetings for peace.